Wilson v. Woodward Iron Company

362 F. Supp. 886, 9 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1372
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedAugust 22, 1973
DocketCiv. A. 70-943
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 362 F. Supp. 886 (Wilson v. Woodward Iron Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Woodward Iron Company, 362 F. Supp. 886, 9 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1372 (N.D. Ala. 1973).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

GUIN, District Judge.

This case was tried before the Court without a jury on August 20, 1973. Having considered the evidence and the briefs submitted by counsel, the Court hereby enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

I.

GENERAL

1. This suit is an action instituted and maintained under the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (42 U.S.C. § 1981), which provides in relevant part that all persons shall have the same right to make and enforce contracts as is enjoyed by white citizens.

2. The plaintiff, Colonel Hill Wilson, is a black male citizen of the United States and resides in Jefferson County, Alabama.

3. (a) The defendant, Woodward Iron Company (herein referred to as “the Company”) is a corporation operating a plant in Woodward, Alabama.

(b) This plant is composed of departments known as the Furnace Department and the Transportation Department. Prior to January of 1973, the Furnace Department operated blast furnaces and an electric furnace. The blast furnaces were permanently closed in January of 1973. The Transportation Department consists of the operation of diesel locomotives and railroad cars over the Company’s railroad system for the purpose of transporting raw materials and finished products.

(c) Prior to the closing of the blast furnaces in January of 1973, there were approximately 600 employees in the Furnace and Transportation Departments. *888 As the result of the closing of the blast furnaces, the work force has been reduced to approximately 150 employees. Of these 150 employees, 90 are white and 60 are black.

4. The plaintiff worked in the Transportation Department throughout his period of employment with the Company.

5. The position which supervises the railroad operations is known as Yardmaster. There are four Yardmasters, three of whom are white and one of whom is black.

6. The production and maintenance bargaining unit in the Furnace and Transportation Departments is represented by the United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO, and its Local Union No. 1099 (herein referred to as “the Union”). The Union has been the collective bargaining representative since the early 1940’s. The current collective bargaining agreement between the Company and the Union was entered into on October 1, 1971.

7. The plaintiff's work record with the Company consisted of the following, in chronological order:

(a) August 27, 1964: Negligence in the performance of his job as a Switch-man.

(b) April 9, 1966: Negligence in the performance of his job as a Switchman.

(c) May 13, 1966: Negligence in the performance of his job as a Switchman.

(d) March 14, 1968: Absenteeism.

(e) July 5,1968: Absenteeism.

(f) November 4, 1968: Absenteeism.

(g) February • 23, 1970: Negligence in the performance of his job as a Switchman.

(h) July 2, 1970: Absenteeism.

(i) November 8, 1970: Negligence in the performance of his job as a Switch-man.

(j) August 16, 1971: Absenteeism.

II.

THE PLAINTIFF’S CLAIMS

The claims asserted by the plaintiff are the following:

1. The claim that he received a 10 day disciplinary suspension in February of 1970 in retaliation for having filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September of 1967.

2. The claim that he was discharged in November of 1970 (the discharge being subsequently reduced to a suspension) in retaliation for having filed a charge or charges with the Commission.

3. The claim that in April of 1967 he was denied promotion to the position of Foreman and subjected to a test which was not validated.

4. The claim that he was required to use a segregated bathhouse.

III.

THE 10 DAY DISCIPLINARY SUSPENSION

A. FINDINGS OF FACT:

1. The claim that the plaintiff received a 10 day disciplinary suspension for having filed a charge with the Commission is premised on a charge which he filed on September 11, 1967 alleging that he had been discriminated against in April of 1967 by not being promoted to the position of Section Foreman. [At the time this charge was filed, Section 706(d) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided that a charge was to be filed within 90 days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred, and the charge was not filed within that period of time. However, since this action is being maintained under the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and not under Title VII, the point is not material to the resolution of the case].

2. The 10 day disciplinary suspension arose out of a railroad collision which occurred on the afternoon of February 23, 1970. The fact regarding this collision are as follows:

(a) The plaintiff was working as a Switchman on a five member train crew. The names, race, and jobs of this crew were the following:

(1) Colonel Hill Wilson — BlackSwitchman.
*889 (2) E. L. Calfee — White — Engineer.
(3) Jack Bullard — White — Fireman.
(4) Allison Clark — Black — -Switch-man.
(5) James Martin — -Black — Conductor.

(b) The collision occurred on a structure known as the Stockhouse Trestle. This is a trestle which is located approximately 50 feet from the ground, with storage bins underneath in which raw materials were dumped from railroad cars for use in the furnace operations. The track extended across the length of the Stockhouse Trestle. There was a butting block and a guard rail at the end of the trestle.

(c) The plaintiff had worked as a Switchman on trains on the Stockhouse Trestle on many occasions prior to the collision in question.

(d) The train was composed of the diesel engine and 13 cars. The engine was at the rear pushing the cars, so that the lead car was the head-end of the train.

(e) There was another car, not connected with the train, which was standing on the track on which the train was moving. This car was located near the end of the track where the trestle drops off 50 feet to the ground.

(f) As the train started down the track on the trestle, the plaintiff was riding with the Conductor and the other Switchman on the lead car. As it travelled down the track, the other Switch-man and the Conductor stepped off the car to a walkway adjacent to the track. The plaintiff remained by himself as the Switchman on the lead car.

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Bluebook (online)
362 F. Supp. 886, 9 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-woodward-iron-company-alnd-1973.